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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26425690">The Price of Power</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Controlling_Tictac/pseuds/Controlling_Tictac'>Controlling_Tictac</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Xenoblade Chronicles</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abusive Relationships, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dunban's having a stabby time, Less shipping more just. Bad., Nightmares, Other, Spoilers, Stabbing, Torture, Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:09:35</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26425690</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Controlling_Tictac/pseuds/Controlling_Tictac</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Monado required much of its weilder. In sleep, it haunted his nightmares, filling them with new horrors each night. He would let it go, if the blade wasn't their only hope.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Dunban/Zanza (Xenoblade Chronicles)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Price of Power</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by conversations with <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/LucidWords/pseuds/LucidWords">LucidWords</a> and their <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26311732/chapters/64067656">work</a> that also spawned from them, go read their stuff, I asked them to write the thing</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"You must understand, Dunban."
</p>
<p>The Monado's voice echoed throughout his surroundings. His environment in these times was never quite clear. Unless it was called attention to, the edges of objects blurred, forgotten.</p>
<p>It pulled all attention to the form above him.</p>
<p>"I'm not unfair. I give you <em>much</em> more than I could ever take. The life of one homs is ever so fleeting."</p>
<p>His voice was never centered in any place. Whether he plugged his ears or even screamed, the sound was never drowned out. No matter how far he ran, the Monado would appear again, hovering in front of him.</p>
<p>"Pay attention to me."</p>
<p>A sudden jab to his chest broke his thought, though he had been listening from the start. Despite the hit to his ribs, the pain soon subsided. It was no fun for the Monado if he wasnt paying attention.</p>
<p>"I'm listening," he growled. It never failed to make the spirit angry, but he could never quite manage to play nice. Not to start, at least.</p>
<p>Another jab, this one not so easily ignored.</p>
<p>"Don't talk back to me. Do you understand the power I hold over you? Did you forget what happened to the others who tried to hold my sword?" The Mondo held out a blade of his own, and pressed it firmly to Dunban's throat.</p>
<p>The sword's edge was razor sharp, gliding over his skin without a single catch, stinging even as he lay without breathing.</p>
<p>"I did not. Forget." Each reverberation of his voice caused the sword to bite farther into his skin, and as he spoke the last word, a warm drop fell off down his neck. The Monado's gaze flickered down to the blood now staining the ground, and performed an approximation of a smile.</p>
<p>He knelt down, shifting the sword so it stuck beside Dunban's neck instead of on top of it, though the Monado's body prevented most hope of escape. The glowing hand reaching to touch his cut stole whatever was left, and he closed his eyes, despite knowing it would do little.</p>
<p>"I don't think you understand the position you're truly in, <em>holder of the Monado</em>. I want to make something <em>very</em> clear to you."</p>
<p>Pain blossomed in his shoulder and he needn't open his eyes to know the spirit had stabbed him. His arm curled involuntarily, digging the blade further into his muscles, tissue tearing like scissor to cloth, metal scraping against bone.</p>
<p>"Look at me."</p>
<p>Dunban obeyed, though his vision blurred heavily.</p>
<p>"I want you to tell me what the Monado can do for your people. Then, I want you to tell me what would happen if I <em>took</em> it away." The form accentuated its last words with a twist to its sword, and this time Dunban could not hold back a scream.</p>
<p>"The Mechon." His voice was fast and breathy, he couldn't speak more than a few words at a time. "You kill the Mechon. Your sword."</p>
<p>The Monado relented slightly, raising the sword until his shoulder was freed, and Dunban quickly grabbed his wound with his opposite arm. Blood meant nothing in a dream, but pain held true.</p>
<p>"Good. Now explain what happens if I take it away."</p>
<p>Breathing was hardly easier with the blade out, but at least each breath didn't bring the possibility of further damage. He breathed in and out, almost choking on the salty smell of his wound.</p>
<p>"Your sword is the only thing keeping the Mechon at bay. Without it, any attack would be a near-certain loss."</p>
<p>"And your people? Your sister?"</p>
<p>"Dead. All of them."</p>
<p>He could almost handle these dreams, when the Monado didnt talk so much. The pain was unbearable, but still only a part of the horror. He couldn't stand when it mentioned Fiora. She wasn't a part of this.</p>
<p>"Then I need you to do one thing. I need you to speak something plainly to me, so I know you understand the <em>weight</em> of our conversation."</p>
<p>His good shoulder smacked to the ground, claw-like nails nearly piercing his skin where they gripped. He'd barely stilled before he found the Monado's other hand, trailing a sword down his chest, before settling on his gut, a thin trail of blood marking its path.</p>
<p>Blood pooled from his shoulder, sticky and warm, slowly growing to coat his body. With his good shoulder pinned, he could barely move. Any attempt to move his injured half resulted in weak twitching.</p>
<p>The grip on his shoulder tightened. It too, drew blood.</p>
<p>"Tell me you would suffer <em>anything</em> to hold the Monado's power."</p>
<p>And yet he didn't hesitate.</p>
<p>"I would."</p>
<p>He couldn't afford not to.</p>
<p>"<em>Say it in full.</em>"</p>
<p>"<em>I would suffer anything to hold the Monado's power.</em>"</p>
<p>The Monado's energy turned manic, and the blade fell upon his gut. Squirming, twisting his body contorted with pain, only throwing further flesh into the blade. His shoulders desperately tried to wrap forward, slammed back by the Monado's opposite hand. Legs kicked, his injured arm twisted, but no blow landed on the glowing form, none made him even hesitate, as it twisted the blade further and further, Dunban's pinned arm contorting to claw at the spirit, hissing and scratching, turned feral from primal pain.</p>
<p>When his screams threatened to throw out his voice, and his mind teetered on merciful blankness, the pain began to subside. As his vision started to return, the sword was nowhere to be found, and though his one shoulder was still pinned, the Monado's arm had moved towards Dunban's face. Gentle fingers wiped tears from his eyes, and as the spirit watched his vision trail his movement, it tilted Dunban's face towards its, cupping his cheek.</p>
<p>"You made a wise decision today, Dunban."</p>
<p>In his dazed mind, it was almost comforting. It took all of his conscious power not to lean into the hand and let himself sleep.</p>
<p>The hand raised for a moment, and brushed the hair from Dunban's face, moving tear-caked hair out of his eyes. Its hand lingered for a moment, fingers brushing his cheek, before it rose entirely. It looked down, surveying the results of its attack.</p>
<p>"I think I have made my point for the night... Expect to see me soon, but, for the moment--" it paused, giving Dunban a final look, "--rest well."</p>
<p>As Dunban's unconscious body faded, his true body awoke, slick with sweat. It took him a moment to realize his name was being called, or the source of the voice: his sister nearby, shaking his arm. He tried to focus his eyes, but the blue remained, as he blinked, he felt tears run down his face, and realized his real body must have been crying as well. He must have made enough noise in his sleep to wake his sister.</p>
<p>"It was just a nightmare Fiora, it has passed."</p>
<p>He knew the answer wouldn't sate her, but he could hardly imagine getting any rest either way. He would find some answer that she would accept,, or at least pretend to. He would find some way to cover this up in the future.</p>
<p>Though he knew his deal with the sword was necessary, he realized something crucial as he lay in bed: his death was not an if, but a when, and hat time would likely be soon. And with him gone, his sister would only have her friends left to rely on.</p>
<p>It was simply a waiting game.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>
  <strike>the irony is he doesn't die but his sister does die because of the Monado in a roundabout way</strike>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Technically my first fanfic I think, everything else I've written have been little OC drabbles and the like lol. If I missed any tags or messed up the rating or something like that let me know! I've never posted here before so I dont really know how it works.</p>
<p>Anyways, I like Dunban so he can't have nice things.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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